Tips for A Beautiful New York City Concrete Driveway

It’s not difficult to realize why a homeowner selects a concrete driveway in New York City over other alternatives. Concrete is a quality alternative in terms of appearance, requires little maintenance, and stands up to the test of time. To get the most out of your new cement driveway, contact us Concrete Works at admin@vochoice.org

Stamped Concrete

Concrete comes in different colors, textures, and patterns which allows the homeowner to choose the appearance they desire. A color stained and stamped concrete driveway will last decades when they are installed properly. The beauty and curb appeal they add will increase the value of your home.

The way in which the concrete is poured is vital to the overall attractiveness of the driveway. If a homeowner wants to have a driveway without problems, the following points about the concrete driveway, sidewalk and patio installation need to be considered:

Concrete must be compressed or squeezed and will have only 10% of its strength if it is bent or stretched instead. The proper installation is to compress and squeeze the concrete for a driveway.

Concrete must be poured on soil that is both compact and solid. If the concrete is poured over loose and soft soil, it will bend and crack when a vehicle drives over the surface of it.

Crack control joints need to be installed in the concrete slabs, walkways, and patios. These help to make the concrete crack at the control joint locations and not branch out to other locations on the new york city concrete driveway.

Concrete Works installs the joints also allow concrete to expand and contract at differing temperatures. This helps to keep the concrete from cracking. If the joints are skipped, the repeated contraction and expansion of the concrete will normally result in cracking. The controls have to be made deep enough and should be 25% of the slab’s thickness. Proper spacing in a concrete driveway is also important, and the control joints need to be spaced 15 feet apart or less.

The new york city homeowner has choices to make when it comes to sizes and the choice of material for the concrete drive. Will 4 inches in thickness be enough, whether they want steel used in the driveway, and what to look for when selecting the concrete are common considerations.

A Thicker, Steel Reinforced Concrete Lasts Longer

Concrete should be a minimum of 5 inches in thickness. When doing driveways, thicker concrete is better. The cost differential from 4 inches to 5 inches is not much when compared to the total cost of paving the driveway. Homeowners are well advised to go with at least 5 inches in thickness for a driveway. Concrete is made up of cement, the aggregate of sand or rock, and water. The more cement, the stronger the concrete. The more aggregate in the mixture, the weaker the concrete.

Standard concrete is 4,000 pounds per square inch in terms of a rating for strength. Purchasing concrete that has a higher psi or pound per square inch will be more expensive but more cement is added. If one needs a highly durable concrete, they should consider ordering a higher psi than standard. This could make the concrete last an additional 25 to 50 years. Reinforced steel should be used on a driveway as it is relatively inexpensive and will strengthen the concrete. The steel will also help to hold together any slabs that have cracked. Cracks grow and adjacent slabs can be uneven in height when steel is not utilized. For the steel to be effective, it has to be positioned less than 2 inches down from the top surface of the concrete slab.